Gerry Hassan is a writer, commentator and academic on Scottish and UK politics, power, democracy and social change. He has written or edited over two dozen books including Scotland the Bold and the newly published A Nation Changed? The SNP and Scotland Ten Years On (edited with Simon Barrow). His writing can be found at: www.gerryhassan.com

On the day Ireland cast its historic vote on abortion, the SNP launched an economic policy that maintains fiscal conservatism – vacating a space which could be inhabited by a more honest, bold and radical independence movement.